"POW rescue" missions discussion thread

[Yurgon]

When I get kidnapped the only guy I want leading my rescue is Yurgon;)

 

Sure thing, mate. When that happens, just gimme a call. :D

 

So in regard to what you said and in line with my objective for this mission I came up with a compromise which I believe should make "everyone happy" (if that's ever possible, LoL :D ):

- In the "Warehouse in airport" option I added one (1) Left Door minigun so that a player can equip his/hers helicopter with Left Door minigun in alternative to the Left Door M60.

 

Yeah, that sounds like a good compromise. :thumbup:

 

I can also say that you were very, very lucky in at least one instance while playing that mission. (I won't say here because I don't want to spoil ;) )

 

Sounds like I have to replay the mission in order to find out what you're refering to. ;)

[ricnunes]

Sounds like I have to replay the mission in order to find out what you're refering to. ;)

 

Well I could tell you via Private Message (PM) if you like? :)

[Yurgon]

I tried the mission again with Minigun in the left door and M60 in the right door, but both gunners got killed after a dozen or so passes.

I think I know now what the problem is: It seems the gunners hesitate in order to avoid a Blue on Blue situation.

If I fly towards the other compound in the area, they keep firing like crazy, but with the POW compound it takes them forever to shoot even though they are clearly tracking targets.

As a test, I deleted the group "SF Squad" from that compound, placed the heli right next to it and gave it a go. Within my first pass, the left gunner had eliminated most of the enemy targets.

Unfortunately, I lack the experience on how to solve the problem, but if you can find a way to make the gunners ignore the SF Squad (I know, it's already set to late activation, but that doesn't seem to help), M60s should well be the weapon of choice.

ricnunes said:

Well I could tell you via Private Message (PM) if you like?

Yeah, that would be nice. During my tests, I didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary (but maybe some triggers didn't fire there because I placed the heli right next to the target).

For the fun of it...

Damn, both gunners dead.

Now I'm pissed. If that's what it takes, I'll mow you down, you bloody [redacted]

(Actually, that worked and I set the SF Squad down, but then VRS'd to death when going after some other targets :lol:)

Edited March 27 by Yurgon
Attachments removed

[ricnunes]

I tried the mission again with Minigun in the left door and M60 in the right door, but both gunners got killed after a dozen or so passes.

 

Well, sometimes bad and unexpected things may happen but I was hoping that being able to equip the helicopter with at least 1 Minigun could make things easier. Didn't you notice any improvements on having 1 Minigun and 1 M60 compared with having 2 M60s?

 

 

 

I think I know now what the problem is: It seems the gunners hesitate in order to avoid a Blue on Blue situation.

 

If I fly towards the other compound in the area, they keep firing like crazy, but with the POW compound it takes them forever to shoot even though they are clearly tracking targets.

 

As a test, I deleted the group "SF Squad" from that compound, placed the heli right next to it and gave it a go. Within my first pass, the left gunner had eliminated most of the enemy targets.

 

Unfortunately, I lack the experience on how to solve the problem, but if you can find a way to make the gunners ignore the SF Squad (I know, it's already set to late activation, but that doesn't seem to help), M60s should well be the weapon of choice. :smartass:

 

Nice find!

I also noticed that gunners in this mission are sometimes reluctant in engaging the enemy. I admit that at first I thought that it could be due to the low light conditions (dawn) but then I noticed in other missions that the gunner actually work well, even at night so this probably wasn't the reason.

 

However your find seems more logic albeit I can't understand why. Since the SF team is set to late activation it should be the same as not being there at all (until activated that is). This is probably or most likely a bug within DCS World. :(

Your find is probably the reason why sometimes my gunners seems to be more successful in engaging the enemy when I'm orbiting/flying at higher altitudes, this is probably because this way my gunners have a better line of sight with the enemy.

 

Will try to find a way to solve this problem but to be honest I don't know how, so I can't promise anything.

 

I do however advise players to manually take over and use the door machine guns at least from time to time (for example when you clearly see an enemy that a gunner for some reasons don't engage) while at the same time keeping your distance from the enemy (in order to present a harder target for the enemy).

Another example: manually using the minigun can have a devastating effect on the enemy.

 

Having to manually take over AI gunners in order to be more effective isn't unfortunately a new thing in combat helicopter sims (or in any other sims for example). For example, when playing EECH (Enemy Engaged Comanche Hokum) sometimes I manually use the TADS/EO sensor since there are situation where I can clearly lock a target but the gunner AI for some reason can't!

 

AIs in every game always have limitations (and sometimes "over-human" or "cheating" capabilities) and we have unfortunately to accept this.

 

 

Thanks again for the feedback Yurgon. :thumbup:

[Yurgon]

Will try to find a way to solve this problem but to be honest I don't know how, so I can't promise anything.

 

Depending on how much time you're willing to invest, the following might be a good approach:

 

Create a new mission, as small as possible, and try to replicate the problem (Enemy compound, friendlies with late activation, UH-1H Hot start on Helipad some 800 meters or so away) and see to it that things play out the same way (ie door gunners not firing despite clear LOS).

 

Then head over to the Mission Builders' Corner, describe the problem and post the mission. The wizards over there are usually pretty good at coming up with solutions. :)

[ricnunes]

Thanks for the suggestion Yurgon :thumbup:

[Wrecking Crew]

Neat stuff, ricnunes!

 

Where do you find the cockpit controls triggers for the Huey?

 

WC

[ricnunes]

 

Where do you find the cockpit controls triggers for the Huey?

 

WC

 

I found the Open/Close left cargo door (which I believe is the control what you're talking about) in one of the stock campaign (UN Pilot) missions. (By opening the mission with the Editor)

Edited October 26, 2014 by ricnunes

[Home Fries]

Great missions!

 

I'd like to make a request for multiplayer:

 

Take the POW 2 setup, but have a flyable Huey slick in place of the Chinook, and have the slick pick up the troops as in POW 1. You could then have a slick escorted by a gunship for some fun.

 

For even more fun, take your scalable approach and apply it to the number and type of aircraft in-game, e.g. if two people take slicks then double the random number of troops in the camp, or heavier adversaries if there is 1 slick and 2 gunships.

[ricnunes]

That's a good idea Home Fries!

 

I'll definitely consider doing a MP (Co-Op) version of POW2.

 

However I never made any MP Missions for DCS World before, so is there anything that I need to do besides choosing "Client" on the skill option for every aircraft object that I wish to see playable in the MP environment?

[Home Fries]

Nothing tricky about multiplayer. The only real factor is that in missions heavily reliant on triggers you may need to add more groups to the trigger conditions since clients all have to be in separate flights/groups. That, and your randomization may need to factor in the additional helicopters for scalability. For example you can spawn a range of bad guys for each huey that enters a trigger zone, and I usually make it a large trigger zone with a boundary just outside of the airfield so they spawn as soon as the birds are on the way. You can even spawn the type of group to the type of platform, i.e. AK Soldiers for slicks and BTR-80s or RPG soldiers for gunships.

[ricnunes]

Thanks for the heads up Home Fries. :)